All eyes on visit of IMF chief Lagarde

All eyes on visit of IMF chief Lagarde

Week 26

IMF chief Christine Lagarde is in Dublin today and tomorrow and observers will be watching to see what she has to say about the Irish economy.

Ireland was something of a poster child for the manner in which it came out of the EU-IMF bailout, but many voices are now warning about the potential for geopolitics to wreak havoc.

One wonders if Ms Lagarde agrees with Ashoka Mody, the former head of the IMF’s Irish operation, who thinks Ireland needs a new growth model amid ongoing changes to the way multinationals are taxed. Whether she does or not, she’s probably too diplomatic to say it.

Elsewhere, new Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will have his debut at an EU leaders’ summit which begins on Thursday. The tone of his rhetoric on working with the EU will be closely watched. Brexit will be on the agenda, too.

At home, the CSO will publish retail sales data on Wednesday which will give a flavour of how the Irish economy is performing on the ground, stripping away the effect of multinationals’ accounting practices.